Maralynn and Geoffrey Pacey have been nomonated as Community Champions by David O'Brien (left)

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A caring husband and wife duo from Middlesbrough have been recognised for their efforts within the community.

Retired teachers Geoffrey and Maralynn Pacey, from Acklam, have been running a free breakfast club at the Middlesbrough Community Church on Clifton Street for the past two and a half years.

With an open door policy, the club welcomes anybody who is in need of a good hearty breakfast, regardless of your background or current situation.

Helping those less fortunate every Thursday morning between 9.30am and 10.30am, Geoffrey and Maralynn provide guests with as much cereal, porridge and toast as they want, followed by a cooked breakfast of sausage, hash browns, beans and scrambled egg.

The food is funded by Geoffrey and Maralynn who also receive help from Middlesbrough Community Church and Seedbed Community Christian Trust, which provides funding for grassroot initiatives which are helping the community.

There is also a core team of volunteers at the club, who themselves attend the group for breakfast as well as helping to prepare the food and clean dishes.

Hearing lots of stories about individuals losing jobs, addictions and poor life choices, the couple are non-judgmental and are there to love and support anyone who walks through the door with practical advice, prayer and a sympathetic ear.

Over the last 12 months, the couple have served 200 different people, with an average of 45 guests each Thursday morning.

In recognition of their kind-hearted efforts, the couple’s nephew, David O’Brien, has nominated them in The Gazette’s Community Champion Awards as part of the Community Champion category which is sponsored by Johnson Matthey.

David, 32, from Stokesley, said: “I thought they both fitted the bill for the nomination.

“They are helping those less fortunate and they go out of their way to do that.

“They deserve some recognition for their hard work as they never ask for anything back from anyone.”

Maralynn, 63, said: “We are overwhelmed. What we do is just part of what we are. We just like to help those who have not got what we have. We don’t do it to be recognised. They have become our friends. They are all lovely people.”

Geoffrey, 64, said: “We were quite surprised when we found out we had been nominated.